Article Directory :: Health & Fitness Articles Brain Injury Effects Are Devastating, Different By Katie Kelley Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 01Jul2011 Word count: 425 Viewed: 174 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site It can take years to recover from a traumatic brain injury and after recovery, patients may not remain the same. For example, a psychological patient known only as SM is no different. SM suffers from a rare case of brain damage to her amygdala, an almond-region of the brain that according to a recent study published in December, makes her incapable of feeling fear. For three months, researchers tried everything they could think of to scare SM. "We tried to use stimuli common in Western society," says Justin Feinstein, a University of Iowa graduate student who worked on the study. They showed her horror movies, walked her through haunted houses, and did other things that would frighten an average person. They also asked her questions about traumatic or fearful times in her past like when she was held up at knifepoint and gunpoint and nearly killed during a domestic dispute. Not once did they find evidence that she was afraid, by her report or via their observations. Researchers discovered that she wasn't afraid of anything, but rather, fascinated by scary situations in which other people may be afraid. Before her injury, she was terrified of snakes, but now, when researchers took her to a pet store, she was immediately drawn to the snakes and began to play with them. She even picked one snake up and began to play with its tongue. She simply said that she was overwhelmed with curiosity when asked to explain her behavior. These findings suggest that our emotional response to danger involves both fear and fascination. When we find ourselves in potentially threatening situations, Feinstein says, "the amygdala helps us navigate the fine boundary between approach and avoidance." If the amygdala works properly, these emotions work together to keep us out of trouble. However, when it is damaged, our response can work against our survival, attracting us to the things we should be fear. "The evolutionary value of fear is lost," concluded the researchers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.7 million people sustain a brain injury each year. Of those, 52,000 die and 275,000 are hospitalized. It is unclear how many people are receiving other medical care or no care at all. Other long-term consequences of brain injuries affect thinking, sensation, language and emotions according to the CDC website. Traumatic brain injuries can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders that become more persistent with age. Visit LegalView's website to learn more about brain injuries, recent lawsuits and finding potential brain injury lawyers. In addition to educating people about their legal rights, LegalView provides information about mesothelioma, the deadly cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Visit LegalView.info for information and a list of other legal issues. EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here More articles by Katie Kelley

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